Learn to analyze and improve business processes in services or in manufacturing by learning how to increase productivity and deliver higher quality standards. Key concepts include process analysis, bottlenecks, flows rates, and inventory levels, and more. After successfully completing this course, you can apply these skills to a real-world business challenge as part of the Wharton Business Foundations Specialization.
This course is part of the Business Foundations Specialization
Offered By


About this Course
Skills you will gain
- Process Management
- Operations Management
- Six Sigma
- Inventory
Offered by

University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (commonly referred to as Penn) is a private university, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. A member of the Ivy League, Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and considers itself to be the first university in the United States with both undergraduate and graduate studies.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Introduction
This short module was designed to introduce you to the course, and to give you an overview of what you can expect from the course and the instructor!
Process Analysis
In this module, you'll learn how to identify key elements of process analysis: flow rates, and flow times, how to uncover bottlenecks, how to optimize labor and inventory, and how to handle the complexities of multiple flow units. At the end of this module, you'll be able to break down operations into processes which can then be improved to maximize profits and efficiency.
Productivity
You'll learn the key components of productivity in this module. Beginning with the academic definitions of productivity, you'll move on to the common blockers, measurements, indicators of effectiveness, improvement techniques and financial values. By the end of this module, you'll be able to identify, describe and measure the relationship between inputs and outputs and also be able to develop strategies for decreasing inputs while increasing outputs, thereby boosting productivity wherever you see the need to.
Quality
Quality is not only a cornerstone of operations management, but also a critical component of an organization's long-term viability and success. This module covers all the major aspects of quality in operations, from examining the common reasons for defects to the most widely used implementation techniques for addressing problems of quality and ensuring reliability and standards. At the end of this module, you'll be able to anticipate where defects may occur and recommend a sound strategy for maintaining quality and stability.
Reviews
- 5 stars67.50%
- 4 stars19.56%
- 3 stars6.66%
- 2 stars2.76%
- 1 star3.49%
TOP REVIEWS FROM INTRODUCTION TO OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
I liked how the Professor explained different terms of Operations and Quality. This course will help me apply this knowledge of looking inside an operation and finding out the bottlenecks.
Great Instruction by Prof Christian - very lucid and with real world examples. Learning a business skill is mostly learning observation.. Now I know what to observe when looking for productivity!
A very short and interesting course track to understand the basic of operations management if you do not want to go in depth. The concepts are explained well in a very simplistic manner.
I like the lecturer the way he goes straight into the point with very simple and easy to understand explanation. No sophisticated words/ vocab. Excellent for the beginner
About the Business Foundations Specialization
In this Specialization, you’ll develop basic literacy in the language of business, which you can use to transition to a new career, start or improve your own small business, or apply to business school to continue your education. In five courses, you’ll learn the fundamentals of marketing, accounting, operations, and finance. In the final Capstone Project, you’ll apply the skills learned by developing a go-to-market strategy to address a real business challenge.

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